Quote of yesterday: Courtesy of Charles Staley - strength and conditioning author

thanks to cj for forwarding this to me:

"Performance (or progress) improves only when weak links are identified and fortified" - Charles Staley.

So get plugging the weak links:

Come and see one of the strength and conditioning coaches at Balance Performance Physiotherapy, Clapham SW4. Someone like Cj, he found the quote after all.

Quote of the day, courtesy of Clapham North tube

"Its better to fail in something than to succeed at nothing."

Every day at Clapham North tube station on a wipe board at the top of the escalators a "quote of the day" is written.

As the main business, Balance Performance Physiotherapy, is based in Clapham I have ended up copying a whole bunch down when I have the time and inclination.

I thought I'd start sharing some of the best. Whether they are motivating or just a bit clever.

I ran past this too quickly this morning, leaving Balance to get to a client, to notice who said it. In fact I ran with such speed (or maybe my eye-brain co-ordination is too slow) that I only got the first half of it and had to finish the sentence myself....but I like it even if I am misquoting.

Jonathan Lewis
www.balancephysio.com
www.islondon.com

mobile:+447960861267
tel:+442076272308

London strength and conditioning session - more conditioning than strength

Industrial Strength London - session 19th January 2008.

This one was for a select crew.....the cover models to the right.

The idea was to do a total conditioning session, a drop of strength work, moderate rep kettlebell sets of the essential Russian kettlebell drills of snatch, clean and jerk, and swing.

A large helping of bodyweight drills, trunk strength (core stability for readers in the fitness industry), some density training (a la Charles Staley), and despite the unsavoury nature of it I put 1k on the treadmill mto the circuit.

There were minimal rest periods, a maximum in quality movement, and optimal use of time.

How it shaped up:

• Joint mobility warm up - Glenn Cumiskey led us through a completely floor based and thoroughly effective routine that targeted the hips, pelvis, spine and shoulder girdle.

• The duration of each of the circuits 12 sections was approximately 4 minutes. As soon as each of the exercises listed was completed you start again
  

• the rest between each piece lasted only long enough to qualify what the next section entailed for each of us.

1. 4 min (or 1km) treadmill run
2. dynamic flexibility style "straight leg swing", "high side reach"
3. kettlebell clean and jerk
4. drop squat 10, mountain climber 20, step back lunge 10, press up 10
5. hand to hand kettlebell swing 20, jingo (step back stay low) 20, high speed sit up 10
6. penetration lunge 10, rolling press up 10, squat jump 10
7. kettlebell snatch 10, burpee 5, snatch 10, rest count 10
8. Barbell back squat - density style (i.e max reps in available time)
9. TRX suspension abdominal rollout 10, TRX tuck from prone support 10, high tension knee in from plank or prone support posn 10
10. weighted side flexion with reach to sky of unweighted hand 10
11. handstand hold 20 count, atlas jumps 20 (thanks Phill Ireland for making me do the atlasjumps last weekend at his thai boxing pad work course)
    
12. 1 arm rows 5, grasshoppers 20

All in all it was a satisfying way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Next session will also be at Balance Performance Physiotherapy on

Sunday March 9th - 9.30am - 12pm

Plans for 2008 - Londons only Strength and Conditioning training club run "not for profit"

The focus of Industrial Strength London in 2008 is in continuing to be the only strength, fitness training and conditioning club in London that is run "not for profit"/virtually free.

Every 6 weeks we want to meet either at Balance Performance Physiotherapy in SW4 or outdoors - either Battersea Park or Wandsworth Common.

The idea is not to impress anyone or work like a maniac but to learn, improve and develop our knowledge of how to gain athleticism.

Thats not to say at the sessions you cant have a good training session, develop your work capacity, strength and psycological endurance if you like, its a bit like Cross Fit with more understanding and less vomit (we can do that in our own time).

We hope to share ideas: stimulate our brains into considering how we put our physical training programs together.

Improve technique in:

• Kettlebell lifting
• Bodyweight exercises
• Flow drills
• Bodybuilding - ok we don't do "get MASSIVE!" mass and sculpting

The next session is Saturday - January 19th - 4-6pm @ Balance. Maybe see you then.

Jonathan Lewis
Industrial Strength
mobile:+447960861267
tel:+442076272308